The new intern trying out digital traveling

Tell us about your background

I grew up in Turku, Finland and moved to Sweden in 2016 to study Urban and Regional planning at Lund University. During my studies, I did an internship at Kiruna municipality where I got to follow the exciting process of moving a city and learned more about the region. The internship sparked my interest in the arctic area and the regions development, and after getting my bachelor’s degree, I moved to Luleå to work for the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), as a strategic planner. At Trafikverket, I assisted in different projects surrounding long-term infrastructure development in northern Sweden, and the cooperation with regional sectors such as tourism and reindeer husbandry.

How did you become interested in working at the International Barents Secretariat?

I stumbled upon the secretariats webpage through my previous work, and the internship sounded like an interesting experience and a great way to expand my horizons. Since I am interested in regional development and cross-border cooperation, this seemed to be a perfect way to get more hands-on knowledge of these topics.

What will your work include at the IBS?

As an intern, I will assist the IBS team in their daily communication and administrative tasks, work with news updates, and manage Secretariat’s social media. Despite the ongoing pandemic limiting travel in the region, I am excited to see what opportunities the online world has to offer and how we can move our geographic connections to a digital landscape.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Thanks to COVID-19 and spending a lot more time inside, I started knitting and have made an impressive amount of sweaters so far (4!). I enjoy being in nature and hiking, and I try to spend as much time as possible in the Finnish archipelago during summer.